Before you begin, assess your talents, your network and your organizational skills—it’s the best way to figure out what money-making at-home activities will work best for you. You may even want to consider taking a personality test for additional insight into your strengths and weaknesses. If you think you’ve got what it takes to start your own business, you can take our pro-blogger personality quiz here.
Don't sacrifice morals for a quick buck — At the outset, you'll want to do all sorts of things to make money online, but don't sacrifice your morals for a quick buck. Not only will you put people off, but you'll lose Google's trust. You also shouldn't concern yourself with things like Adsense or other ads on a blog before you have around 100,000 visitors per day. Yes, per day.

In my (unpopular) opinion, getting a raise is harder than getting a promotion. Think about it from your boss’s perspective, would you rather a) pay more money for the same service, or b) pay more money for additional responsibilities. Alas, if you feel you’re overdue a raise, check out Dr. Randall Hansen’s article on Getting the Raise You Deserve. There are some really useful strategies there.

…Marketing an eBook is definitely the hardest part. Ebooks have exploded in popularity and the market is unfortunately saturated with crap from people who thought they could write a quick eBook, put it on an affiliate network, and make millions. However, if you CAN find a good way to market (or possibly have others market by having it listed on affiliate networks) then an eBook can be a great way to make some residual income.

Equipment. The largest, and most important, piece of equipment that you’ll need is a high-quality sewing machine. They can range in price from about $2,000 up to $6,000, and you’ll want the best one that you can afford. Other pieces of equipment will vary, depending on what you want to specialize in. For instance, if you intend to make custom draperies, you’ll need a serger, and a drapery steamer.
If you’ve received gifts you really don’t want – and they’re still in the packages – try returning them. Some retailers will take them back up to a year later. If you are not sure where the item was purchased, try going online and searching. If a retailer like Walmart or Target pops up then you can return it there without a receipt and get a gift card.